Toasters, grills and gadget thrills
We're so obsessed with grilling and toasting that a slew of gadgets have been invented to help us, but do we really need them?
At the home economics lessons in my school, the very first thing we learnt to do was to make a cup of tea and some toast. Very clever, I thought back then, the teachers are in cahoots with our parents, who want a shot at breakfast in bed.
Retro toasting
The odd thing was, we made the toast on the oven’s grill. There weren’t toasters for everyone in the school kitchens, so we were reduced to making toast the old-fashioned way, just like our grandparents used to.
It was the 1980’s for chrissakes! There was no space for nostalgia about ancient and quaint cooking practices. We were primed to pack out our kitchens with every gadget going.
20th century grilling
Toasters as we understand them today were not really commonplace in British kitchens until the 1960’s and 70’s. This despite the first automatic pop-up toaster being patented in 1919. With the invention of machine-sliced and wrapped bread, owning a toaster suddenly made a lot of sense.
Open fires and pitchforks
The modern loaf and the modern toaster certainly made for happy bedfellows, but we were toasting and grilling for centuries before this pair emerged. The simplest way to grill a piece of bread, or anything else sturdy enough to be speared, was with a long fork in front of a fire. Even before the invention of the toasting fork, folk were puncturing their victuals with sticks, swords and knives, much as many of us still do in front of a campfire.
Posh grilled nosh
What is clear from the evolution of grilling and toasting is quite how much we love it as a method of cooking. We use it for anything from basic morning toast to expensive tuna steaks.
Smart toasters
First, not content with the grill section of a standard oven, inventors set about designing the best toaster. The highest spec of today’s offerings can perform all sorts of fancy tricks, such as allowing you to lift the toast to check on it without cutting the cycle. There is one which can be controlled online and another that can toast the weather forecast into your slice of wholemeal.
Sandwich makers
Then we became even more demanding about our grilled goods, and in the 80’s, a Breville toastie maker became de rigueur. They were filled with anything from cheese and tomato to banana and chocolate spread, roughly about twice a year per household. For a modern play on the banana and choc toastie, try Ravinder Bhogal’s chocolatey French toast.
Grill your way to good health
The next grilling escapade is one of my favourites – the appearance of the George Foreman lean mean grilling machine - sold as an indispensable piece of kit for a healthier life. The idea was to grill green veg and skinless chicken fillets on the contraption, and watch any fat drip away from your food and out of reach of your greedy palate. We rebelled by using it for extra thick brie toasties.
Things, as they often do, seem to have come full circle. While a decent toaster is the quick and convenient way to toast bread of a morning, choosier toast aficionados may prefer the scorch of a hot grill or Aga across their rye or sourdough.
Do you own various grilling and toasting gadgets that are gathering dust, or do you use one everyday? Or perhaps you believe that toast tastes better when done under a grill than in a toaster? Let us know.
Champion grilled food:
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature